Reviewing the ACER Iconia dual screen Windows tablet : Test 1 multi touching Cylons..

Ahh the irony thegameveda has been bawling about how few iPad 2 s are in existence and then dagnabit gone and bought a tablet that is even rarer than Steve's job..


And so it came to pass , I found  myself typing this blog entry on a dual screen Acer Iconia tablet. And presently I found myself  delighted by this tablet for crazy people . That is the right kind of crazy people , thegameveda kind of crazy people. 


Naturally I have to test the Acer Iconia through the medium of games , if you need an uber technical view please check .. notebookchecks review which is well worth translating from German to English .  


So today let's start  with Browser gaming : no not Flash in Facebook , but real core gaming courtesy of Bigpoints Battlestar Galactica Online : Time to  buzz Galactica's "tower" , you with me Goose?

You know this runs pretty well on a Windows 7 powered joojoo and the dual screen Toshiba Libretto , but on the dual 14 inch touch screens of the iconia it shines.  This bodes well for other Unity and Browser games .


Straight away you should be able to tell the Intel HD graphics combined with i5 are actually a pretty potent combination on this tablet . You can see Unity , therefore Flash and Java work fine , Chrome can be stretched across the 2 screens and , the wireless N is speedy enough to play a major online MMO, you can also use cable if you must  ! The sound on this machine is also superior to other tablet PCs , I have it turned down in the videos it is so loud! : 


What about productivity that bane of the tablet form factor ?
The Iconia has no problem with me typing this blog entry out in the top screen whilst Youtube uploads  and process the video you are about to see in the second touch screen ..

Preliminary thoughts


There are two worry points that many reviewers have focused on ,the battery life and the integrated  gpu .Let's get these out of the way 


The Acer Iconia ways a ton , you will not be carrying it anywhere , that say you would your iPad 2 , so ,no, don't even think of taking a 3kg dual 14 inch screen tablet into the lavatory.... This is a serious multitasking desktop adjunct. Not a netbook or laptop replacement. As such it is as likely to be used without it's power cord plugged in as your desktop is...


Used with skill the Iconia is a new way to work and play , but you have to learn new ways to accomplish old tasks.Once you do that worries like battery life are irrelevant in  the 10 hour battery span of an iPad 2 you cannot achieve the most basic tasks that the Iconia lets you in minutes. For instance typing this blogger entry in a Chrome browser . That's not even getting to fancy stuff of streaming movies in the top screen whilst Facebooking ,Youtubing and Flickring in the lower window ...


The second worry is the Intel gpu ,  consider this scores higher than any other Windows tablet with a 5.3 and it surpasses the desktop ion that I have been using play the likes of Dragon Age 2 on a joojoo tablet , and that only has an Atom CPU .So there are several thousand FULL games that you can play on the Iconia ,none of which are ever going to make it to iOS or Android. 


Another great Windows 7 tablet the  Asus ep121 slate scores less than 3 in business and gaming graphics but even that manages to play several thousand pc games without breaking a sweat including Starcraft 2 and Call Of Duty Modern Warfare ... 


The latest greatest games are going to be played on your MultiGPU desktop , so the missing discrete graphics really do no bother me  , I mean I am going to play Crysis 2 at 5120 by 1600 on a multi monitor set up ,with real gpu hardware  not on a cut down GPU in a £2000 macbook pro...unless some kind Apple soul donates one to me...


The draw of the Iconia is the evolutionary change in how it gets you multitasking  not the hardware or software  it packs  , the keyboard is the fastest touch screen input device yet created .And Windows fans you can even do Ctrl Alt Del !  as this is the first real multitouch Windows 7 device , with more than 2 point touch . The dual screens ,even when used with an external keyboard are a godsend for multitasking and multi monitor fans. The choice of OS Windows 7 is essential for multi monitor setups , whether it is to allow dual screen gaming ,multimedia,or productivity. The i5 cpu also allows true multitasking ,task it with 10 open Chrome tabs and it still does not slow down and remember you can throw those across two screens ! 


These are great times for people with exotic tastes in PC hardware ,  if you fall into this category you have the  desire to get one already. 


To follow , thegameveda will game on the Acer Iconia using  Steam , Onlive , Impulse and GAIKAI  .meaning I have been playing so many games already that I have had no time to blog about them by the way did I mention the Iconia looks gorgeous?

the Iconia is a glimpse of the tablet future , one beyond i7 , multiscreen  , with discrete gpu and running Windows 8 .. at that point Steve may himself be screaming for a  Mac Air tablet to compete . 


2011 is the year that Windows tablets  bring the cloud and with it desktop productivity ,real gaming independent of hardware ,  everything else is just a substandard camera or thinner version of last years model...




get your Acer Iconia whilst they are still around...


 

 

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Acer Iconia dual screen tablet test numero 3 : on Screen 1 Onlive Arena et Assassins Creed Brotherhood whilst using Screen 2 for live scrapbooking!

THIS IS ICONIA !

Fellow Spartans ,or should that be Iconians ?   today  thegameveda is  really pushing  boundaries ,perhaps not of hardware reviewing but of one handed games playing whilst filming , and this beast of a dual screen tablet is almost impossible to film with two hands . So forgive the gaming skillz and handwriting on show  : 


Today's test also gives me a chance to see how onlive fairs on the Acer Iconia , so immediately we are pushing the wifi , there is a 50 meg connection linked to the Iconia in these videos . 


Onlive if you did not already know is one of the greatest things to happen in the history of games , instant no install streamed gaming , sounds impossible but it works . 


Onlive makes the hardware your packing irrelevant , in fact in the time it will take gaming PCs to download some of today's larger games  ,your onlive gamer will have most likely completed the game , thanks to the 0 install instant run nature of onlive . 


When  you play Assassins Creed Brotherhood using onlive  you are playing the game at ultra settings that usually require an elite pc , but thanks to the wonder of streamed gaming  your GPU and CPU are largely irrelevant. Lag does not exist to any noticeable extent. 


So if you are worried about the intel gpu in the Iconia , don't , thanks to the cloud you will be able to play full spec PC games on anything with a fast enough broadband connection . 


And the Iconia also comes with an ethernet port , just in case your wifi isn't up to scratch.

I have been testing out AAA pc games on onlive on the humble joojoo tablet for months , so I expected it to work fine on the Iconia  , what I did not expect was the ability to mess around in the second screen without the game shutting down in the first . Not only that but I can interact with games now in a different way ,  thanks to the scrapbook I can pull pieces of the game , mess around with them and draw in real time on the lower screen whilst the game continues to run in the first . I have a multi monitor setup on my desktop , but it cannot do this ..


In the highly technical test I used every method to control the game , external keyboard , mouse , 360 joypad, this should show you  a) you can play any AAA game thanks to onlive  the gpu in any laptop or desktop is rendered moot by streaming tech like Onlive , and b) the Iconia is one powerful device when it comes to multitasking , even this is being typed in the bottom scren whilst I edit and play back the youtube video you are about to see in the top screen.


The Acer Iconia is not just a powerful multitasking device it is a multi screening device , in small enough form factor to free you from those desktop shackles  


It provides a unique gaming and work experience , and did I mention it looks gorgeous ..?


more to follow..


get your Acer Iconia 

 

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Acer Iconia dual screen multi tasking tests Starcraft 2 vs Starcraft 2 and R.U.S.E vs Metacrtic

Day 2 of thegameveda Acer Iconia review . And it is time to push those 2 touch screens and the hardware behind them with that stalwart of games not made for tablets but reviewed by everyone anyway : Starcraft 2 .


Imagine you have just discovered a company called Blizzard and the worlds largest Korean youth mind control franchise ( after the good Reverand that is... )  known as  Starcraft 2 . You want to play , but need to know also how the mind stuff works . You need to go to the website , but you need to play as well . 


In steps the Acer Iconia , and says yes you can.. This is a stress test for the Iconia take a look at the speed of the browser in the second screen , and the game playing in the top screen , now you can keep up with your mind control whilst you surf the cause of it... 

The iconia isn't even stressed by this test  , the top screen is ice cold , whilst the lower one is not even warm . Just goes to show when it comes to tablets on paper the hardware may not stack up , but when it all comes together it shines  , just ask Steve he pulled the same trick with our iPads too... 


And for  our  second test  how about Steam and Metacrtic vs R.U.S.E

this time we will play the game and launch a full screen video : 

Just think instead of this I could be endlessly syncing apps on iPad 2 ...More to follow ...

 

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Acer Iconia test no.5 playing Shogun 2 Total War Battle of Sekigahara on screen 1 whilst studying it's history in Wikipedia on screen 2

Day 5 of thegameveda Acer Iconia review , and here you see me running Shogun 2 Total War the Battle of  Sekigahra  Historical scenario on the top touch screen running in Steam , whilst learning about the actual battle from Wikipedia running in Internet Explorer 9 in the second 14 inch multitouch screen . 


And again I find myself going wow !


This test  is to stress the tech not show my gaming prowess , as once again I am playing one handed , whilst trying to film with the other in the dark fumbling for mouse and keyboard , it takes AGES to be this good , and requires copious injections of midichlorians (thanks George)...

The video shows me looking up the places , faces and historical names,as the narrator talks about them , whilst I play the game! and it seems this battle was entirely about backstabbing treachery ,our side was doomed from the beginning ,so now I don't feel to bad about losing badly, serious fans could use this kind of set up to have their game strategy sites open in the bottom screen whilst playing their favourite game in the top . Serious fans could actually follow the strategy of the real generals , and win ! if they were not filming at the same time that is ....




The Total War series bar the original Shogun is a total resource hog ,to see it running in a dual screen set up where the second screen is being used independently is quite amazing. The Iconia is a multiscreening beast ,it seems . Shogun 2 is completely playable , (when you have both hands and/or not trying to emulate Kurasawa san) .Reading the techie reviews I would not expect this game to run at the speed it does , let alone allow you to mess around in the 2nd screen WHILST playing the game !

the Battle of Sekigahra virtually depicted in the top screen and an in an Edo period painting in the 2nd 

oh and if you want to see some serious multiscreening here is a shot of me writing this blog entry whilst movie maker encodes the youtube video and I have explorer open to look at photos to include in the blog ; 

more to follow !


get your Acer Iconia and Shogun 2 Total War  now

 

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Acer Iconia Test no. 4: Dual Touch Screen MMO gaming courtesy of Star Trek online

Naturally you need to know if the Acer Iconia can handle MMOs , so here we have thegameveda testing Cryptic`s Star Trek Online , first a passive mission to show how the interface works , note the HUD can be resized to suit your fingers! Also note that the game plays across both screens , at speed , and you get a tremendous sense of vertigo looking down at the tablet . Excuse the gaming skills , I was playing with one hand whilst filming with the other at an angle that caught both screens (some of the time !) 

It's multitasking but not as you know it ..fascinating...absolutely fascinating ....
Right now I have Star Trek Online still running but minimized whilst I imported the above video , edited in on screen with Windows Live Moviemaker , uploaded it in youtube in the other half of that screen , and in the 2nd screen typed this blog entry  whilst the youtube video finished uploading . That is multitasking , made elegantly simple on the Acer Iconia , and the thing is not even warm ! This dual screen tablet clearly packs more punch than any other tablet pc and is uniquely suited to multitasking  with a UI that is geared towards multitasking with programs ,productivity applications , games ( a full MMO!) all able to be open and accessible thanks to the Iconia's unique Windows Manager : 

Combat to follow later , after thegameveda get's some rest... 

 

 

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Acer Iconia Test 6 : playing the Black Prophecy Beta whilst surfing the web site and checking out the manual!

Black Prophecy is a great way to stress test the Iconia , and requires a hefty  6gb install  ,  unlike rival space combat MMO  Battlestar Galactica online which is Unity and browser based.  So how does this game which is high on graphical detail  , and gpu intense  , fair on the in Acer Iconia ? Lets find out 


This being the Iconia naturally I have to be doing 2 things at once , surfing the official website , checking the manual whilst playing the game ... 

  checking the manual whilst playing the game ... 

and now for some game play dual screen tablet style:

Black Prophecy is a very hardware intensive game , but again the Iconia handles it very well , and not only that you also have the second screen to mess around with !
Another MMO that runs fine on this unique tablet PC ..And a great stress test for the Intel HD gpu , one that it passes with a bang or several as you can see from the video! 


get your Acer Iconia  and check out Black Prophecy 

 

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Acer Iconia Test 7,8,9 Playing the Darkspore beta on screen 1 whilst surfing the offical website on screen 2



As the Darkspore beta went open recently , thegameveda gets to use it as an excuse to stress test the dual screens of this tablet pc : 

so lets play with the hero editor whilst watching the official trailer

then  for test no. 8 play some of the game whilst checking out some of the game lore from the official site

and for test no. 9 lets play the game whilst messing around with the Iconias scrapbook and use youtube

once again , like .wow Scoobs!!!!!

preorder  Darkspore  and or get an  acer iconia     now!

 

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Acer Iconia multitasking test XI : Playing Mass Effect 2 on Steam whilst playing Mass Effect 2 on GAIKAI

thegameveda could never decide whether to be Miss or Mr Sheppard in Bioware's latest multiple choice ( to be expected from ex medical students  )  extravaganza


Now thanks to the dual touch screens of the Acer Iconia we all can be  Miss Sheppard and Mr Sheppard at the same time , today's  test stresses the wifi n of the Acer Iconia , using Gakai to play Mass Effect in Screen 2 , whilst also stressing the CPU and Intel HD GPU , and hard disk by playing Mass Effect 2 on screen 1 using Steam  , running the game at respectable ,for tablets and laptops ,1366 768 res. 

As you can see the  Acer Iconia has excellent wifi n broadband capabilities : Running Gaikai WHILST running a full Steam game  .Using Gaikai is extremely tasking on your Internet connection the slightest interruption can cause your screen to turn into a Vulcan Transporter malfunction . But not on Iconia ! 


Gaikai is  promising tech that I have been waiting to comment on , waiting because it's potential has yet to fully realised or decided , at the moment it requires an intensely stable broadband connection . Gaikai unlike onlive is still in Beta , and runs on Java beans , and sometimes it seems those beans get stuck in the machine turning your screen to garbage , or causing fuzzy artifacts . But that is on lesser machines , on the Acer Iconia as you can see in the video , there is no screen tearing and no locking up.  


We can also see that the Acer Iconia Intel HD GPU coupled with the i5 GPU and 4 GB of DDR3 , give you a pretty potent gaming experience , far exceeding all the synthetic benchmarks , the Iconia is also the only tablet packing a 640 gb hard disk , so you really can bring a significant chunk of your Steam collection with you . Or at least one or two of the latest games . HDD space is irrelevant when using streaming services like Gaikai 


Gaikai is something to wake up and pay attention to , together with the likes of Onlive , and the more traditional Steam , Impulse , and perhaps AWOMO  , these are the technologies that are evolving video gaming , largely independent of hardware ,platform holder or  OS . 


Just a short time ago  the only expected  advances in gaming were totally hardware upgrade  dependent  with the boffins at iD , Digital Extremes ,Crytek,  nVidia , ATI, AMD and Intel  fuelling the endless upgrade cycle. 

Gaikai is from  Shiney person Dave Perry, he of Every one's a Wally and Pyjamarama fame , ( or Earthworm Jim and MDK fame to our US cousins). Here is a guy who unlike that most beloved  famously harsh self critic Peter I promised you a Miracle Molyneux actually delivers . 

Dave the Embedder:

There were signs of GAIKAI even in Dave Perry's earliest classics , Pyjamarama and Everyones a Wally , all contained full games  embedded and running within windows ( they were called screens in those days ) within the main games . It was a pleasure to seek out these hidden games  , Space Invaders with kitchen utensils +/- colour clash = awesome .  20 odd years later and Dave returns now embedding games in what we call browsers on something called the Internet...

Gaikai has come a long way , in the last couple of months , below you can see some grabs of  it running full screen on a joojoo tablet . Mass Effect 2 running from a browser  , any game can be demoed this way , any game could be run this way ....  wow 20 years and all the colour clash is gone .. brings tears to an old ZX Spectrum owners eyes....and Yvonne is looking pretty cool too.... 

those spikes along Jokers arms are signs of stream failure and not our pal Seth reverting to his Werewolf Buffy previous self.The capture is from a test I did on Gaikai using a joojoo tablet last month ..happily  these flaws are gone from Gaikai in it's present form , as you can see from the Acer Iconia video , even playing a Steam game at the same time does not interrupt the stream on the Acer Iconia and Joker looks sharper than ever...

A year ago I would not have believed  something like GAIKAI could work , I had hopes , which is why when the world turned iPad , I got hold of at least 2 Windows tablets  as well, and waited. A year on we have both Onlive , GAIKAI ,Unity powering the likes of Battlestar Galactica online from browsers ,  a nice twist in the  evolution of gaming , independent of hardware and software monopolies  , with the cloud making hardware choices irrelevant , all that matters is your Internet connection and if your  machine can run a full OS and browser ..your $1000 tablet can run a full browser and OS can't it ?... sorry iOS and Android fans!

Try it for yourself ... here  at GAIKAI , just wait for the pop up at the bottom of the screen!

For a limited time you can get Mass Effect 2 free when you purchase an EA game , your best option  the EA store which has a 50% off sale on this Easter weekend. Crysis 2+Mass Effect 2 for £17.95 ,not bad !

Mass Effect 2 played on an Atom powered joojoo as fast as your l33t pc ..faster infact!......

Search Amazon.com for mass effect 2

   




























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Sins of A Solar Empire played on dual touch screens : Acer Iconia test X

The finest space bound RTS of modern times looks amazing on the dual 14 inch touch screens of the Acer Iconia . The game runs at a fair pace  , check out the videos to see how the game is controlled with 2 touch screens ! ( but only one hand as the other is used for filming) 

it is difficult to convey the majesty of this game when you are playing with touch looking down a at a dual screen setup there is a tremendous feeling of depth , not to mention megalomania as your merest touch sends  asteroids , planets 

and suns spinning ... 

Allow me to demonstrate : 

and like so : 

All in all another great gaming test for the Acer Iconia :  remember the GOTY Sins of A Solar Empire is jsut £4.85 at Zavvi , and for those who do not need physical media check out

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